Summer Scent
by LovelyJB
Summary: 7 years on, Sharpay bumps into her old nemesis Troy, only this time he turns out to be her new boss. She still completely loathes him, and he finds this very amusing. The summer heightens, their egos clash, and an undeniable attraction forms between them.
1. Time After Time

**Fourth and final installment of Endless Love: Summer!**

**This is probably going to be my favourite story of the series, because I intentionally made it to be alot happier than the others. Being summery and all.**

**Anyway, this story has quite a few OCs, and I've grown quite fond of them while in development. I'm going to write this story and see if you like the new characters. If you do, then I'll write a couple of spin-off stories about them after the EL series is done.**

**Okay, so this story is of course set in the Summertime, and its plot is alot lighter than the other ones, because I want it to be. :) Full summaries of the EL are in my profile.**

* * *

_Kindergarten…_

_5-year-old Troy Bolton was sitting alone in a sandbox, happily playing with a bucket and spade. Suddenly, a ball hurled itself from out of nowhere and smashed into the sandcastle Troy had spent all of recess building. He screamed and looked up to see a small blonde girl coming over to him. He grabbed the ball and stood up, scowling._

_"Is this your ball?" he said, holding it out. The girl nodded. She was about to reach out and take it when Troy jerked it back. "Finders keepers!" The girl let out a gasp. Troy thought she was going to cry, but then she screwed up her forehead in a frown._

_"That's not fair!" she shrieked, trying to take it back. "It's mine!" Troy wouldn't let go of the ball._

_"Your ball crunched my castle, Sharpay!" he shouted, now resorting to pulling at her pigtails. "So, that means I can have your ball!"_

_"No! It's mine! I'm telling!" Sharpay launched herself on him, knocking him down as she punched him. Troy continued to pull her hair, dropping the ball. It rolled a few feet away and laid abandoned as the two children fought. A teacher and a few other children ran over._

_"Stop it!" the teacher screeched, pulling them apart. "I think it's time for you two to have another time-out!"_

* * *

_School…_

_"Troy, if you're not going to do what I say, then you shouldn't be in my group at all!"_

_"You think I like being in your group?! You think I like taking orders from you?!"_

_"The teacher made me Group Leader! So if you're not going to listen to me, then you can do the friggin' project yourself!"_

_Troy and Sharpay were arguing again, and poor Chad was sitting right in the middle of it. He nervously took a sip of water as he watched his two friends glare daggers at one another. He cleared his throat nervously._

_"Uh…" he said. "I think we should finish this tomorrow." Neither Troy nor Sharpay seemed to have heard him. Troy shot up from his seat._

_"You know what?!" he shouted. "I think I'd rather do the project by myself than have to spend one more second in this room with you!" Sharpay got to her feet as well, slamming the papers down in front of her._

_"Good!" she exclaimed. "Because you're completely USELESS anyway!" She pointed her long white finger at him, her face contrasted in rage. "YOU'RE FIRED!!" Troy slammed down his papers onto the desk too, making Chad jump._

_"You can't fire me," Troy said. "BECAUSE I QUIT!" He stormed out of the room._

* * *

_Graduation…_

_The students were lining up to collect their school certificates. Everyone was wearing their academic dresses and mortarboards, and were all very eager and excited. Troy stood in front proudly, only interrupted by a shrill mocking voice behind him._

_"Nice dress, Troy," Sharpay said, her voice heavy with irony. Troy clenched his jaw as he turned around to see her smirk, knowing it was no use to use the same insult back at her. He gave her a non-smile._

_"At least I look good in it," he said carelessly. Sharpay smile vanished._

_"I'm sure you would, and I'm sure you've got a whole wardrobe full of those dresses, haven't you?" Troy's jaw twitched and he forced himself to turn around. He could still hear her talking. "Oh, so it's true after all…" He tightened his fist and turned back at her. Chad and Ryan nervously stepped in between them, but were ignored._

_"Why the hell are you here, anyway?" Troy spat. Chad and Ryan watched apprehensively. Ryan cleared his throat._

_"Well… uh…" he squeaked. "… Evans comes right after Bolton… so…" They were again ignored. Sharpay smiled unpleasantly._

_"I'm graduating," she replied. "Why are you here?" Troy let out a sound that sounded alot like a snarl._

_"I MEANT WHY ARE YOU STANDING SO CLOSE TO ME?!" Chad quickly pushed himself and Ryan out of the way as Sharpay stepped forward, her eyes flashing._

_"I CAN STAND ANYWHERE I WANT!" she bellowed. The entire room turned to look at them. "IT'S A FREE COUNTRY!!" _

_"I DON'T CARE IF IT'S A FREE COUNTRY OR NOT! STAND SOMEWHERE ELSE!"_

_"WHY DON'T YOU TRY AND MAKE ME, BOLTON!"_

_"WHY DO YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO ACT LIKE SUCH AN IDIOT?!"_

_"ME?! YOU'RE THE IDIOT! YOU'VE BEEN THE IDIOT EVER SINCE KINDERGARTEN!"_

_"That's enough!" a voice finally called out. The principal came rushing down from the platform and pushed Troy and Sharpay away from each other as their frightened classmates watched. The principal shook his head._

_"I want to see you both in detention after school today," he said in a low voice. Both Troy and Sharpay looked at him in outrage._

_"After school?!" Troy repeated. "But we've graduated!"_

_"This is so unfair!" Sharpay cried. "This all his fault! He should be the one to stay back!" Troy glared at her. The principal shook his head again._

_"No," he said firmly. "You're both staying back after school and that's that!"_

* * *

_Present day, 7 years later…_

Sharpay Evans let out a puff and wiped her forehead with her sleeve. She let out a frustrated sigh and set the box of fabrics down on the table. She took a moment to breathe, and then went back outside the boutique. Glancing up and down at the windows for any imperfections, she took a cloth and rubbed a smug on the window along the words _S.E.A.L_. Once satisfied, Sharpay went back inside and flipped the door sign to 'OPEN'. She flicked her short blonde hair out of her face and sat down at the counter, fanning herself with a magazine.

It was a hot day, only 9 o'clock in the morning, but already Sharpay had been awake since 4. She hated Monday mornings, she hated being the first to come into work and since it was only three weeks before the summer season officially started and it already so hot, it didn't make things any better. No one came in the morning anyway, so Sharpay found it annoying that she had to follow the store's written policy. Sometimes one customer would come in the morning, to find a suit for a wedding or to have a patch up. There was no telling if an incident of that kind would happen nowadays, so Sharpay sat tight. Even if everyday was the same until long after everyone was coming home from work, Sharpay was happy.

What started as an idea three years ago became reality when Sharpay decided to open her own clothing boutique with her own fashion range in Fairvale, just outside her hometown Albuquerque. It was famous for being a humble store, dependent and not too fancy. Sharpay's parents had advised that the boutique wasn't a good idea, but Sharpay continued the business anyway. She had invested quite alot of money into it, and little by little S.E.A.L became more and more successful.

The bell rang as the front door was pushed open. Sharpay looked round, hoping it to be a customer, but reverted back to her bored self when she saw who it was.

"Oh," she said, leaning onto the counter and yawning. "It's just you, Grace Kelly." The woman who came in let out a scoff and placed her bag on the table. She walked around the counter.

"Well, it's nice to see you too," she said ironically. Sharpay laughed.

Lila West was Sharpay's best friend from college, and she was part of the team that helped Sharpay create and run the boutique. She was the same age as Sharpay, a sophisticated blonde with a deep seductive voice and shimmering blue eyes that made any guy crazy. Sharpay nicknamed her_ Grace Kelly_ from the very first moment they met, and she took it as a compliment. Unlike Sharpay, however, Lila was a someone who was willing to work late hours, even though she herself refused to be the one to wake up early.

"Have the new stocks come in yet?" Lila asked. Sharpay nodded, pointing at the box beside the table. Lila immediately got up and looked through the new clothes excitedly. She slowly sat back down and began sorting out the clothes into different piles. Lila had always been good at sorting and matching up perfect fabrics and designs. Sharpay figured she might as well get back to work and started taking out some of the new clothing ranges and hanging them up.

"Did Emily call?" she asked, bringing a mannequin from storage. "She said she wasn't coming in with you." Emily was Lila's sister, the baby of the group and one year their junior.

"She stayed at Tony's place last night," she said without looking over from her work. "And yes, she called. She said she's driving up to Santa Fe to get the stuff, and she'll be back around lunch." Sharpay acknowledged the information and smiled.

The boutique was great, but that didn't stop any of the owners from trying to extend their boundaries. Years of hard work seemed to have paid off when a major retail company back in Albuquerque had offered them their own place in the big city. Lila and Sharpay had already estimated the money they could earn, and it was probably going to be three times their current pay. Her colleagues had kept their fingers crossed for almost a year, and this time Sharpay was certain the waiting would end. Emily was the first to volunteer, so she was chosen to drive all the way up to headquarters in Santa Fe and bring back the documents for their new lives.

Sharpay glanced at her watch. It was an hour from Rush Hour.

The doorbell rang again and the two blonde women looked up, again expecting a customer, again disappointed at who it was. A young man entered.

"Morning, Sharpay," he said happily. "Morning, Lila."

"Morning, Tony," the girls chanted. He smiled at them and headed to the store room.

Anthony Holmes was also a classmate of Sharpay's from college and, like Lila, helped Sharpay run the boutique. He was closest to Lila, having gone to high school with her. Tony was a tall handsome young man of Irish Catholic descent, and from his appearance you could tell for most of his life he had been a very thin boy (Lila commented he was underfed). However, as he entered his twenties, his arms and shoulders began to build up some muscle, and his cropped blond hair slowly turned light brown, and this brought out the deep shades of hazel in his eyes even more. Tony had always had a boyish, affable air to him, with a million dollar smile that made anyone, especially girls, who met him take a liking almost immediately. When Sharpay first met him, she was amused with his character, finding him a mixture of the good qualities she had seen in so many guys she dated. He was often shy, timid and very gallant, stumbling on his words and stuttering terribly every time he lied or was nervous. Tony was also very charming in a modest kind of way, usually attracting a lot of girls without even knowing it. Nonetheless, Tony was and had always been a reliable friend and both Sharpay and Lila could count on him to be on time.

The doorbell rang yet again, and this time it really was a customer. Lila jumped off her seat and greeted them with enthusiasm, like she always did. Sharpay sighed to herself and smirked, getting back to work. A few more customers came in, and it only took an hour before even Tony had to come out and help, running in and out of the office.

It was great; they were located right in the central of tourist attraction. Everyday, even at the worst times of the year, there would always be at least three dozen people to drop by and perhaps purchase a tie or an evening gown. The business was tiring, and because none of the friends wanted to employ more workers to help out (even though they didn't really need to), S.E.A.L stayed as a humble business, neither earning too little and coming near to being shut down, or becoming a major success. Sharpay and her friends loved the boutique, but they waited for the chance to be so much more.

Sharpay, Lila and Tony busily ran the boutique alone until lunch when Rush Hour finished. Sharpay put up the 'OUT FOR LUNCH' sign and collapsed onto one of the chairs by the counter. Tony sat down next to Sharpay, both equally exhausted, as Lila brought out the sandwiches for lunch. Tony took a magazine laying on the table and fanned himself, wiping his sweaty brow with his hand.

"I hate this weather," he grumbled. Lila chuckled and poured him some orange juice.

"Just drink your juice," she said, sitting down. "It's not too bad. It'll cool down again in about… three months." Lila's face fell slightly at her own words, and she downed her juice. Sharpay bit into a turkey and ham sandwich.

"They said the heat this years going to be even worse," she mumbled, clamping the sandwich in her mouth as she tied up her hair . "Ish shuppo sa bee a purfit dae if fe diden haf ta bee coopd oop im dis heet shak." She took an enormous bite, choking a little on it before downing her juice. Tony sipped his drink as well, staring sadly at the opposite wall.

"We've been waiting for that vacancy in Albuquerque for months now." he said in a quiet voice. He twirled the sandwich bag mindlessly between his fingers, heaving a sigh. He looked over questionably at Sharpay. "I know you've told us we have a good chance at getting this, but do you really think this could really be our big break?" Sharpay sat up and stared sympathetically at her friend.

She knew Tony was optimistic, but he also was the one to think rationally too. It had been their eighth try to score a spot in Sharpay's hometown, and for the last eight times they had been hopeful, only to have it all come crashing down onto them. Tony didn't like the false sense of security, and every time they were let down, a part of him seemed to be scarred. Sharpay placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Look, sweetie," she said endearingly. "I know you've been disappointed this year." She shot a glance at Lila. "We've_all _been disappointed this year, and I for one know it's not too healthy to get hopes up." Tony leaned back on his chair and crossed his arms, looking away. Sharpay smiled at him. "Hey, will you work with me here?" Tony shrugged, still not looking at her.

"I dunno," he muttered. "I really want us to make enough money, especially for the wedding and all." He scratched his head and sat back up straight, half-heartedly biting into another sandwich. Sharpay watched him for a moment, then smiled.

"If we don't get the job, we'll just pick ourselves up again and move on," she said confidently. "And we'll work harder than ever so we'll do better next time." She wrapped an arm around Tony's neck and pulled him towards her. "That's our motto, remember? Be happy and don't worry." Lila nodded in agreement.

"Yeah," she said, pouring more juice. "Don't worry, it's not like we're going to let you get married in a dumpster or anything." Tony smiled wryly. He leaned back on his chair, relaxing a little more.

Okay," he said. He smiled at the girls, the optimism returning to his brown eyes. "I'll try and stop worrying. I mean, it's no big deal, right?" Sharpay smirked and returned to her sandwich.

"Just keep saying that to yourself, and you'll be fine," she said, giving him a wink.

They ate lunch for about ten more minutes, the door sign flipped to 'CLOSED' for the time being so no one would come in. However, someone did come in. Unknowingly to the trio as they went back to their quiet lunch, the door opened very quietly, not even setting off the bell, and sneaked up silently over to them.

A soft pair of hands suddenly came up from behind Tony and covered his eyes. Tony, blindfolded, dropped his lunch in surprise, but then smiled and placed his hands over them.

"Let me guess…" he said slowly, pretending to think. "Hmmm… soft hands… " He touched the fingers carefully. "Manicured… feels like some expensive work… they smell like… hmmm… carnations and honey… let's see… oh, what do we have here… the left hand seems to have some sort of ring on it… a small rock too…" A girlish giggle came from behind him. Tony smiled to himself and pulled the hands down. "Is it… my fiancée?" He tilted his head back, and another giggle erupted, a ripple of rich brown hair sweeping onto his shoulders as Emily West leaned down and kissed him.

She was the baby of the group, as said before, but it didn't mean that she was at all naive or childish. A stunning young woman with brown hair and honey highlights in contrast to her blonde older sister, she shared Lila's sophistication and grace, with a petite figure, elegant and slender. Her matching blue eyes only brought out her sweet smile, a sense of serenity from her poised, delicate features.

Emily was an independent soul, working hard and aiming for the moon each time. She first met Tony when she was 13, when Lila first brought him home for a school project, not that anything happened then. They finally started becoming a couple after Tony asked her out after her 17th birthday, and they had been together ever since. In fact, the sole reason Emily was so excited in getting the new job was so she and Tony could make enough money for their upcoming wedding in the mid-summer. Emily threw her mane of hair over her shoulder and sat down next to Tony, taking the other half of his sandwich.

"I'm exhausted," she exclaimed, laying back onto her chair. Tony placed his arm around her. Emily took a bite of her sandwich. "You know how awful it is to be stuck in this weather in Rush Hour." Lila just smiled and poured her little sister a glass of juice. She and Sharpay carefully watched her as she drank it, knowing it was best to let Emily breathe before she revealed the news.

She downed the drink and let out a sigh, leaning back on her seat and snatching the magazine from Tony and fanning herself with it.

"I went to meet the retail guy in Santa Fe," she said finally. Sharpay, Lila and Tony leaned forward excitedly.

"And?" Lila said, the eagerness almost killing her. Emily exhaled deeply, her gaze dropping sadly to the front table. Lila's smile faded, and she frowned. "Well? Speak up. Did we get the job?" Emily didn't answer. The smiles on Tony and Sharpay's face began to fade too, and Emily waited until the very last moment when she knew they were all thinking everything was over. Her pink lips curled up into the brightest smile.

"We're in!" she shouted. "We're in! Come on, I was just playing with you! We're really in!" Sharpay's jaw dropped, Tony choked on his drink, Lila just sat there, stunned. Emily laughed at their dubious expressions, but after a few seconds the words sank in. Lila jumped up and punched the air, her golden hair bouncing around her joyous face. Emily pulled Tony up and wrapped herself around him and he lifted her off her feet, both of them shouting in celebration. Sharpay just couldn't contain herself, jumping up onto the counter.

All their hard work, all their years of sweat and blood into their beloved business had finally paid off. They were moving into new territory now, better lives with better and bright futures. Now, with this promising new proposition in hand, the team was ready to take on anything.

"Albuquerque!" Emily said, breathless. "Wow, I've never been there before. Oh, Sharpay… you grew up in Albuquerque. Is it wonderful there?" Sharpay leapt down from the counter, landing gracefully in front of her friends. She smirked.

"You'll love it there," she said reassuringly. She looked over at Lila and Tony. "You'll all love it, and it'll be a piece of cake fitting in."

"But where are we going to stay?" Lila asked, finally calming down and straightening her dress. "Are we getting apartments, or are we staying at hotels for a little while?" Sharpay smiled and shook her head.

"My folks left me the Evans Manor before they moved to Toronto," she said, placing her hands on her hips. "It has 6 master bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, a kitchen the size of this entire boutique, and a pool." Tony's face lit up at the word _pool_.

"We're allowed to live with you?" he asked. He then frowned as an afterthought hit him. "Are you sure that's okay?" He glanced down at Emily, then back. "I-I mean, we don't want to cause too much trouble. It'd sure be unfair to take advantage of-of your house like that." _Oh, Tony, always thinking of others._ Emily smiled and wrapped herself around Tony's arm. Sharpay just shook her head again.

"Oh, it's no problem," she said warmly. "I'd be glad to have some company in that big house. Well… I guess my twin brother Ryan might still be staying there. You'll finally be able to meet him again."

Only Lila and Tony had ever met Ryan, but because he lived in Albuquerque and they lived in Fairvale, it was hard for them to all meet up. Upon their first encounter, both Sharpay's friends seemed to like Ryan, so she was pretty sure Emily would get along well with him too. Sharpay jumped up and down on the spot, barely able to contain her excitement at going back home. She picked up her glass of juice and held it up in the air.

"To S.E.A.L," she said. The rest followed her lead.

"To S.E.A.L," they all repeated. The glasses chimed against each other, and everyone drank to the boutique's health. Sharpay could clearly see that everyone was still smiling as they finished the apple juice.

"To S.E.A.L," she said again. "And to Albuquerque." Another toast. Sharpay grinned.

"We're coming home."

* * *

**Troy's not in this chapter. Couldn't fit it all in. You'll learn more about what he's become in the next chapter. ;) You'll meet him, and you'll find out how his life turned out.**


	2. It's My Life

**Sighs… if you couldn't guess what S.E.A.L stood for, it was actually just an abbreviation of all the names. _Sharpay, Emily, Anthony and Lila._ :S**

* * *

Troy let out a huge yawn.

He hated going to these parties. Fully of snobby stuck-ups that pretend to be so nice yet would back-stab a colleague in a heartbeat. Everyone was being fake nice to each other, pretending this and that, saying how nice the caviar and champagne and the cocktails were, bagging some free shellfish for later.

Troy had seen it all before, and it was boring. But he was CEO of Bolton Industries, and it been a very, very big and successful company with many people admiring him and kissing up to him 24/7, he had no choice but to go. Every single year… He sipped his champagne nonchalantly and loosened his tie a little, staring around for any attractive woman so maybe he could have a little fun at least. It had been several hours, and all he had done was shake hands with a few old greasy men. An attractive woman did approach him, but Troy wasn't impressed to see her.

"Mr Bolton," she said in a tired voice. "Please, just try and look like you're having a good time." Troy rolled her eyes and drained his glass. He handed it to her.

"I'm tryin', Av," he sighed. "And I told you a million times to drop the formalities. Just call me Troy, I need at least ONE person to remain me what my first name is." Ava shrugged, trading the empty glass for a full one and gave it back to Troy.

Ava was his assistant. A fiery young woman in her early-20s, she had bouncy, shampoo-commercial golden hair and deep green eyes that pierced when she was angry. But beneath that hard exterior was a heart of gold. She had worked with Troy for almost three years, and she was the main reason he hadn't appeared on the front cover of newspapers that read "Drunken Playboy Fallen Into The Gutter. A Disgrace To Bolton Industries." A loyal and trustworthy assistant, she was able to keep Troy steady on his feet.

After high school, Troy eventually got a good deal with an idea he had. It was simple, yet so many people couldn't think of things he did. Over the years, the role of CEO vastly began to bore Troy, it was just meeting after meeting of discussing what had already been decided. Troy became reckless, daydreaming and sleeping through important conferences, and hiring secretaries mainly for their looks and sleeping around with them, firing them once he grew bored. Luckily, the third time was a charm and Ava was able to restrain his life and pull him out from under the scraps with her monitoring and mothering. Troy didn't know where he'd be without her help.

Ava shrugged and smoothed out her black dress with her hand as another old greasy man looked like he was going to come over. Ava quickly straightened Troy's tie and fixed his shirt, turning back around abruptly and both of them plastered on smiles.

"Who am I about to talk to now?" Troy said through his teeth. The man was still out of earshot, and he had an attractive blonde who looked half his age with him.

"That's Seymour Mills," Ava shot back. "Head and founder of Avalon, a mustard company. And that's Cecilia, the woman he left his wife of 30 years for." Her fake smile widened as they came closer. Ava took a step back so Troy could greet them. "Avoid mentioning anything about his stocks. He went bankrupt after his stocks fell through last month, this is his first outing since then." She bit into her lip and became silent as Troy reached out and shook Mills' hand.

"Mr Mills, I presume?" he said in a warm and friendly voice. Mills chortled heartily.

"And you must be young Mr Bolton," he replied gruffly. "We meet at last." Troy nodded and then looked at the blonde to Mill's right. He took her hand, soft as it was, his eyes traveled down at her for a brief second, then back up. He smiled at her with a million dollar smile.

"And this beautiful woman must be Cecilia." Troy tenderly kissed her hand. Cecilia giggled and smiled coyly. Ava rolled her eyes. Troy smiled dashingly again at Cecilia, then let go and turned his full attention to Mills.

"So, your deal's mustard, right?" he said with a chuckle. "I bet you've got hundreds of hot dogs stands on your ass." Mills chortled again, placing a hand on Troy's back as they walked over to the bar.

"Yes," he said. "But let's not forget all those major restaurants. MacDonald's, Burger King…" Troy laughed loudly, and they sat down at the seats.

"That's amazing!" he exclaimed with enthusiasm. He signaled the bartender, and two cocktail martinis were placed in front of them. Troy handed him his credit card and took a sip. He encouraged Mills to do the same. "Please, do go on."

And so Mills kept talking. Cecilia went to wonder off, and Ava stood at a distance, sipping margaritas but her eyes were on Troy. After about twenty minutes, he did a strange hand movement behind his back where Mills couldn't see to Ava, who was a few feet away. Ava, realizing that was her cue, rolled her eyes and turned her back to him, reaching into her purse to pull out her cell phone. She dialed and pressed it to her ear.

"… and when they told me I'd only get 30 percent of the profits of mustard used in their burgers," Mills droned on. "I took them to court. A sixteen year case that was, but I managed to sue them for over 4 million." Troy nodded and smiled, continuing to act like he was listening with rapt veneration.

His phone suddenly went off.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Troy said, taking it out of his pocket. "Could I take this?" Mills nodded, though seemingly a little disappointed.

"Of course," he replied. Troy smiled gratefully and pressed the phone to his ear. His eyes traveled over to Ava, and he gave her a thumbs-up. She didn't seem impressed.

"Hello?" he said casually. His expression turned grim. "What? Now? Really? Now? Okay." He hung up, turning back to Mills. He smiled again.

"Sorry," Troy said. Ava began walking over to the men. "The office. There's been a problem with the Hudson Legislation." Mills' eyes widened at the important words _Hudson Legislation_. He quickly thrust out his hands and shook Troy's.

"Of course, of course!" he exclaimed. They stood up. "I heard that's going to be quite a deal, the Hudson project." Troy nodded. Ava came up behind him, a scowl on her face. She slipped her hand onto his arm and gave it a twist. Troy winced, but controlled himself.

"Well, can't keep them waiting," he said lightly. He and Ava turned and made their way to the door. Troy gave Cecilia a wink and a smirk as he passed her. Ava practically dragged him out the door where a sunny day was waiting for them outside. As well as a limousine.

The driver came out and opened the door for Troy as he approached the limo. Troy stepped in first, and Ava followed, sitting in the seat opposite him. The door closed and the driver ran back to his seat as Troy popped a bottle of champagne. Ava crossed her legs and watched him with a sour look.

"Haven't you had enough?" she asked. Troy grinned and poured himself a glass.

"What's the harm of some more?" he said, shrugging. He held out Ava's glass to her. "It isn't like I have work to do when I get back." Ava didn't even look at the glass. She continued to glare, but then just sighed, defeated, taking the glass off him. The limo started to move. Ava started playing with her hair as she stared out the window.

"You know," she said, taking a sip. She looked back at him. "I don't know why you keep using the Hudson excuse." Troy chuckled. "I mean… there's gonna be a day when you meet someone who knows exactly what it is." Troy just shrugged again, gulping down the champagne.

"Yeah," he said breezily. "And when that day comes, you'll find me another excuse." He finished his glass and poured himself some more. He took Ava's half-full glass and poured some more into it too. Ava cocked an eyebrow.

"I really shouldn't be drinking this much," she muttered, watching the champagne with slight uneasiness. "I'm supposed to be the responsible one." Troy filled the glass up to the brim. Right to the brim. Ava smirked. "Are you trying to get me drunk?" Troy re-corked the bottle and set it aside. He clinked his glass to hers.

"Here's to trying," he said cheerfully. He flashed a wink. "And I'm still counting down the days until I'll finally get you to go out with me." He drank deeply while Ava just continued to stare with slightly raised eyebrows, waiting for him to say something. Troy's smile slowly faded as he began to crack under her stare, and he emitted a frustrated sigh. He collapsed backwards onto his seat with a frown. "Okay, _fine_. You took this job as a professional and no matter what, you're not going to sleep with me… _for now_…" he added under his breath. Troy sighed again and raised his glass up half-heartily. "… so, to good health." Ava's expression softened with satisfaction and she beamed at him. She sipped her champagne.

"That's better," she said. Troy smiled meekly, and turned away from his beautiful assistant to look back out the window.

The only thing waiting at his office was a pile of documents that needed to be looked at. He knew Ava wouldn't let him do anything fun. Not even with the cute receptionist on the first floor…

Troy sighed. The champagne didn't taste so good anymore.

* * *

Lila's roadster zoomed through the empty road, the rough city road slowly turning into the crunch of fresh gravel and rich pavement. Lila wore a white silk scarf around her head to stop her blonde hair from flying everywhere and a pair of sunglasses, the wind whisking in all their faces. Sharpay sat next to her, pointing this way and that way on where to turn. Emily and Tony were squashed into the back seats along with all their luggage.

"It's down there!" Sharpay shouted against the wind. She pushed her hair down and pointed down the road at a row of houses, at the centre a large manor.

It was very big, two storeys up, but the team knew it had to have at least ten rooms on each floor. It wasn't Victorian, but it was something from that era. Emily suggested Jane Austen, and that seemed the closest any of them could suggest. Even Sharpay admitted she didn't know how old the house was.

The entrance was guard by a rather inviting-looking gate of steel that was painted pure white, a good effect against the deep green ivy that grew on it. Behind it was a huge front yard, the grass green with a faint hint of yellow from the sun, and summer flowers in bloom all around the edges of the garden, that clearly looked like it hadn't been looked after.

Lila pulled into the entrance and drove it down to the end of the lane, parking it conveniently under a nice shady tree, away from the blazing sun. Sharpay was the first to get out of the car, heaving the suitcases out so Emily and Tony could move. She wiped her sweaty brow with the back of her hand, glancing back at the house. She smiled.

"I'm home," she whispered to herself. Tony took most of the suitcases himself out, and he dragged all of them to the door so the girls didn't have to do it. Lila had removed her scarf and sunglasses and was looking around at the place. Emily had wondered around to the garden.

"Are you sure Ryan's living here?" she asked, looking over at Sharpay. She straightened up and walked over to the team as they stood waiting at the door. Tony rang the doorbell once, then twice, but there was no answer. They all looked questionably at Sharpay.

"He's_ supposed _to still be living here," she told them, walking up to the door. She banged it hard a few times. "I called him an hour ago, but he didn't pick up." Tony shrugged.

"He could be out," he said. "Or…" He suddenly looked a little uncomfortable. "He might not be answering the door for some other reason…" Emily gave him a confused look.

"What?" she blurted. A thought then hit her. "Oh…" She stepped back and remained quiet. Lila glared at them for their dirty minds. She looked back at Sharpay.

"Don't you have a key or something?" she said, a notably irritated tone in her voice. Sharpay was about to answer that she didn't, when the sound of running footsteps from inside grew louder and louder. The door clicked and pulled open.

Ryan stood in the doorway, a little out of breath and wearing nothing but his briefs.

Now, Ryan's story of how his life seven years after high school. He didn't need a job, he didn't need to work. He was living it large as a spoiled heir until he was rightfully given the title to take over for his father. The problem was, his father, Sharpay's father for that matter, didn't really think he had it in him, so instead of retiring after 50 plus years, Mr Evans was still going strong as the businessman he was, while Ryan was just lying back and enjoying the ride. Sharpay was unimpressed with this lifestyle, no doubt being an heiress with a carefree life was tempting, but Sharpay chose to make her own living, and maybe live a little in the process. Ryan stayed at the manor while Sharpay moved away to Fairvale, and he'd keep himself company. Or he'd invite company over.

Emily and Lila both went giggly and blushed a little while Tony and Sharpay both looked equally disgusted. Ryan grinned.

"Sorry about that," he said breathlessly, pulling on a white t-shirt that was in his hand. Sharpay pushed the door wide open so the others could come in. Ryan smiled as he spotted the guests. Naturally, he approached Lila first.

"Lila," he said in an enticing voice, giving her best smile. He took her hand and kissed it tenderly. "You're looking as beautiful as usual…" Lila scoffed, pulling her hand away.

"Ha ha, great to see you too," she said sarcastically. "But I'm _so _not going to fall for that act again." Ryan's smile faded as she brushed past him inside, but he simply shrugged it off. He then turned over to Tony and held out his hand to him.

"Tony, my good man," he said warmly, shaking his hand heartily. "How you been?" But before Tony could answer, Ryan suddenly became distracted as his eyes fell on Emily behind him. His eyes widened and jaw dropped, then a grin spread across his face. He pushed Tony aside. "_Hello_…" He reached out and took Emily's hand. "Who might you be?" Emily laughed nervously.

"Emily, Lila's sister," she said, clearing her throat. Tony abruptly pushed his way over and pulled Emily's hand out of Ryan's grip.

"And she's my fiancée," he said in an unusually hard voice. Ryan's eyes widened and he automatically withdrew his hand, quickly flushed a deep red and took a reasonable step away from the couple. He scratched the back of his neck and let out an awkward laugh.

"Well," he said dismissively with a light chuckle. "It's great that you're all here anyway." He laughed nervously again. Sharpay ushered her friends away so she could speak a private word with her brother. She glared at him.

"I _told_ you I was coming over," she told him crossly. She was clearly still unimpressed.

Her friends were in awe at the house, wondering from room to room and just staring at the colour of the wall was enough excitement. Tony, his eyes on the ceiling and beyond, set down all the suitcases beside the door, only when his skin left the touch of leather did he bring his eyes back down. Emily was drawn immediately towards the huge portraits and artworks around the room, looking through them closely while not touching them. Lila had retired at the foot of the stairs where Ryan had rushed down from, pushing her blonde hair back and emitting a sigh, fanning herself with her hand from the heat. She tossed her head back, and as she did she caught a glimpse of something quite peculiar coming down from the bedroom.

A pair of legs wrapped up in cheap run-in stockings walked themselves down step by step, above them a beautiful yet dumb-looking brunette wearing a party dress that was so high, Lila wondered if it was really supposed to be a shirt. Lila slowly turned away, concealing a smirk and keeping her eyes down, and abruptly grabbed her sister's arm. Emily frowned at her, but when she saw the approaching legs as well, she bit her lip and the sisters tried hard not to laugh. The girl walked down in a fashionable manner up to Ryan, who had his back to him while facing Sharpay. The woman smiled, her eyes only on Ryan. She tapped him on the back, and he spun around, a little shocked.

"Hey, Ryan," she said sweetly, wrapping herself around him. Ryan laughed nervously, trying to back away.

"Hey… uh…" he began. He struggled to get a name, but nothing came to mind. He laughed again. "… you." The woman laughed. She glanced around, seeing that they had company and released him.

"I just wanted to say that I had a really good time last night," she said, still smiling coyly. Ryan laughed again. He began leading her towards the door, by all means avoiding Sharpay's stony glare.

"Yeah, me too," he said quickly, thrusting her handbag into her hands. "It was great." He pushed her out the door and was about to close it on her when she turned around one more time, still smiling.

"Will you call me?" she asked. Ryan took a while to answer, but he laughed yet again.

"Uh… sure," he said, shrugging. "Well, see you later… pretty lady."

"Okay," she replied. "Thanks for--" But before she could finish her answer, Ryan closed the door in her face, slamming his back against it, readying himself to face the music as his eyes fell on his twin sister. She had her arms crossed, and had the look of a tiger about to pounce. Ryan smiled weakly.

"Make yourselves at home," he said loudly, glancing around at the amused witnesses. Emily and Lila had suppressed themselves enough to watch the whole show, and Tony reappeared again from the other room, obviously not having seen what just happened. Ryan took the opportunity to escape upstairs.

"I'm going to get dressed," he said cheerily. "So, Sharpay can show you around." He went over and placed his hands casually on Sharpay's shoulders. "Won't you, sis?"

Sharpay remained silent, her arms still crossed, her eyes slit. Ryan knew it was best to just get away while he could, so he quickly left the scene and rushed upstairs, slamming the door with a bang. Sharpay let out a sigh and dropped her hands, shaking her head. She turned to her friends.

"I'm sorry about that," she said truthfully. Lila shook her head, though her lips were still pursed.

"Don't worry about it," she said, her voice laced with laughter. "Knowing Ryan, I think we should be _glad _we caught him like this and not in a worse situation." At that, she and Emily burst out laughing. Tony stared at them, confused.

"What was…?" he began. Sharpay just cringed her nose and held up her hand to him.

"Don't ask," she told him. Tony gave her a strange look, but decided to shrug it off. He had obviously come back into the hall for a reason, and it took him several seconds to remember what it was. He went over and grabbed Emily's hand.

"Hey, look what I found in the main room," he said. He pulled her gently along with him as he turned back to the entrance of the room, Lila and Sharpay following behind curiously. Once they all came in, Tony let go of Emily and ran over to a beautiful Japanese grand piano in the corner of the room.

This was the room where the Evans family would relax on a weekend. It was, like the rest of the house, old-fashioned and was the furthest thing from what was in an IKEA catalogue. Play the piano, play a game of chess, watch television, toast marshmallows in the fireplace on a cold day, those were what the family would do for fun in this room. Even though Spring hadn't even finished and Summer hadn't officially arrived, it had been too hot and the fireplace had been switched off and abandoned. Instead, an air conditioner was dragged out and placed in front of it, giving the old Victorian/Jane Austen era a fresh breeze from the 21st century. Sharpay smiled to herself; this was definitely her favourite room in the entire manor.

A soft piano melody played and brought Sharpay's head back to earth. She looked round and saw Tony sitting at the bench while the two other girls stood around him. Sharpay smiled again and went over to join them. Tony's hands danced on the keys, almost lustfully.

He was an amazing pianist. According to what he told Emily, he had been playing the piano since he was two, and throughout high school and college he was praised by teachers and students all around. Tony had performed at concerts, and his gift wasn't just limited to playing the piano, he could sing along to his own songs as well. He was the only one in the team who could play the piano, so everyone relied on him to cheer them up with a song after a long hard day. Usually, he'd just play a simple tone, no singing, just plain music. Sometimes, when he felt like it, he'd sing along, but whenever Emily was with him, they'd sing together.

Tony ran his fingers down the black and white, then he looked up at Emily in beside him. He smiled.

"What should I play?" he asked. Emily chuckled.

"I don't know," she said, shrugging. "Play anything you want." Tony just watched her for a little while, his hands playing a random melody. He then laughed a soft laugh, and his blue eyes reverted back to the keys. A new song played, one all of them recognized, and Tony looked back up at Emily, singing.

**When I fall in love…**

Lila and Sharpay both shared a look and a smile while Emily blushed and giggled, twirling the ring on her finger. She leaned onto the piano, her smile slowly fading into a genuinely peaceful expression.

**It will be forever  
Or I'll never fall in love**

**In a restless world  
Like this is  
Love is ended before it's begun**  
**And too many  
Moonlight kisses  
Seem to cool in the warmth of the sun**

Emily sat down on the bench with him, watching his fingers dance on the keys. She lifted up her legs and hugged her knees, resting her head lightly on Tony's shoulder. She started singing as Tony played on.

_When I give my heart  
It will be completely  
Or I'll never give my heart _**(oh, let me give my heart)**

_And the moment I can feel that you feel that way too _**(I feel that way too)**_  
Is when I fall in love _**(I fall in love)**_  
**With you**_

The two of them looked over to each other, the look in their eyes that only they would understand.

**_When I fall in love  
It will be forever  
Or I'll never fall  
In love_**** (Oh, I'll never ever fall in love)**

**_In a restless world  
Like this is  
Love is ended before it's begun_**  
**_And too many  
Moonlight kisses  
Seem to cool in the warmth of the sun_**

Tony no longer needed to look at the piano, he just kept his eyes on Emily's, and she sang passionately, staring straight back.

**_When I give my heart  
It will be completely  
_**_Or I'll never give_** (oh, I'll never give)  
**_My heart_** (Oh, I'll never give my heart)**

_And the moment I can feel that you feel that way too  
_**Is when I fall in love**_  
When I fall in love  
**When I fall in love**  
**With you**_**…**

The song ended, and both Lila and Sharpay applauded their friends. Emily leaned in and planted a quick kiss on Tony's lips. They both stood up and stepped away from the bench, looking around at the room. Both of them were smiling, and so was Lila, and so was Sharpay.

"So," Sharpay said finally, clapping her hands behind her back and giving her friends a smug smile. "Do you like our new home?" Tony, Lila and Emily all exchanged a satisfied look each. Lila smirked, wrapping her arm around Tony's back, who in turn did the same to Emily, and all three of them standing there together. Lila took Sharpay's hand suddenly, and she pulled her into a big hug.

"Now we really _are _a family," she said warmly.

* * *

**The reason Tony can play the piano and Emily can sing is very important for upcoming chapters. The next chapter: SEAL get a taste of life in the city of New Mexico!**

**Alright, this is going to be the last chapter for a long time until I update again! Don't forget to check out the other stories for Autumn, Winter and Spring, and review!! They make me happy!!**

**Wish me luck for my HSC course! If I come back alive, I'll update every single one of these stories all at once!! … maybe. lol**


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